hacker
hack·er/hækəɹ/noun
hacker is spelled H-A-C-K-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (hack·er). It appears 4.7 times per million words in written English, the 11,685th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hacker means “Someone who hacks” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hacker is hackers.
How many letters and syllables are in hacker?
| Letters | 6: H-A-C-K-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: hack·er |
| In writing | 4.7 times per million words; the 11,685th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is hacker?
Hacker appears 4.7 times per million words in written English, the 11,685th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce hacker?
- UK /hækə/
- US /hækəɹ/
Hacker has 2 syllables, split hack·er in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-hacker.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of hacker
- hackers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- hackering participle, present
- hackered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hacker mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Someone who hacks.
A hacker hacked into his computer account yesterday.
- 2
One who cuts with heavy or rough blows.
- 3
One who is inexperienced or unskilled at a particular activity, especially (sports, originally and chiefly golf), a sport such as golf or tennis.
a tennis hacker
- 4
datedOne who is expert at programming and solving problems with a computer.
- 5
datedOne who applies a novel method, shortcut, skill, or trick to something to increase ease, efficiency, or productivity.
food hacker
- 6
One who uses a computer to gain unauthorized access to data stored in, or to carry out malicious attacks on, computer networks or computer systems.
a phone hacker
- 7
obsoleteSynonym of hackster (“a violent bully or ruffian; also, an assassin, a murderer”).
- 8
Something that hacks; a device or tool for hacking; specifically, an axe used for cutting tree branches or wood.
- 9
USOne who operates a taxicab; a cabdriver.
verb
- 1
UKarchaicTo speak with a spasmodic repetition of vocal sounds; to stammer, to stutter; also, to mumble and procrastinate in one's speech; to hem and haw.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hacker in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense one who uses a computer to gain unauthorized access to data stored in, or to car:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hacker, hackeur, hackeuse, fouineur, fouineuse, pirate |
| German | Hacker, Hackerin |
| Portuguese | hacker |
| Spanish | hácker, hacker, jáquer, pirata informático, jacker, cacharrero |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does hacker come from?
From Late Middle English hackere, hakker, hakkere (“one who cuts wood, woodchopper, woodcutter; (rare) tool for cutting wood”), from hakken, hacke (“to cut (something) with a chopping action, hack; to make a chopping action”) + -er(e) (suffix forming agent nouns). Hakken is derived from Old English *haccian (“to hack”), from Proto-West Germanic *hakkōn (“to chop, hack”), from Proto-Germanic *hakkōną (“to chop, hack”), from Proto-Indo-European *keg-, *keng- (“to be sharp; a handle; a hook; a peg”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).